Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Review: Coraline

Title: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Horror / YA
Synopsis:

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.



I picked this up from the library yesterday because I had seen the movie last year, and realized it was a book. I tend to read books before I see the movies, so I had to get it. I only opened it briefly when I got home. Today, I sat down to read it.

It took me two hours.

Even for me, that's fast. I don't generally read horror because it's hard to find a story that truly creeps me out through written word. I've found a few short stories that have done it (example: Skin by Ceridwen Swift) and Coraline did not disappoint after watching the movie, which had me closing my eyes several times.

The simple act of sewing buttons over their eyes has the ability to creep me out, but add in the rhymes such as:

We have teeth and we have tails
We have tails we have eyes
We were here before you fell
You will be here when we rise

from the rats, and Neil Gaiman had me hooked. The "Other Mother" was truly spooky. I loved the illustrations even though they, to be repetitive, creeped me out.

I liked Coraline the character--a very curious girl, and not one to shy away from something that scared her. I really liked the story about her and her father, it added a much needed depth to the parental characters, which had been in danger of simply being extras in the story.

But I have to say, the cat was my absolute favorite character. I loved him in the movie and I adore him in the book. Kudos to Neil Gaiman for capturing the attitude of a cat perfectly.

Rating: 5 Stars

Author Information:

1 comment:

The Critic said...

Oooh I really wanted to read this book after the movie came out. Nice review!